How significant were trade unions in the creation and Development of the LRC by 1903?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

How significant were trade unions in the creation and Development of the LRC by 1903? Over one hundred years ago, on 27th February 1900, a conference of trade unionists and socialist organizations met to establish the Labour Representation Committee (LRC), the forerunner of today's Labour Party. However in 1867, the trade union movement in Britain was limited to a mere 5% of the working class. The unions, although initially uncoordinated and unsupported by the law had, by 1903, acquired millions of members, legal protection and political representation. In order to understand the relationship between the trade union movement and the rise of the LRC it is necessary to look at the development of the unions in the context of the social, economic and political conditions in the late nineteenth century. Life at this time was pretty grim for the working class. Research by Booth and Rowntree estimated that a family of five needed a minimum of �1 a week to survive in reasonable health. He also found that 1/3 of families had less than this. Skilled workers were financially more secure, but still had no real political representation. In an attempt to improve their circumstances these skilled workers and artisans established their first trade unions in the late 1860s (these are now known as new model unions or NMUs). These were so called because they revamped previous trade union styles. They differed in that they had relatively high subscription rates so were fairly exclusive, they were nationally organized with paid officials, and lacked a real political agenda; their aim was to improve their working conditions and acquire respectability and upward social mobility. ...read more.

Middle

As stated, up until 1887 the trade union movement only represented the most aristocratic of the working class, and for the movement to truly develop the unions would need to loose their elitist approach. The time was right for a move towards solidity which worked well in highly populated industrial areas where large numbers of unskilled workers could join together to form New Unions (NUs). These were unions for the masses, recruited without distinction and with low subscription rates, therefore membership flourished. The New Unions also benefited from excellent leadership; notably Ramsey Macdonald and Kier Hardie who were both dynamic and politically astute. They realized that mass unions would need to be more militant and willing to strike to succeed. Following little more than Marxist ideology, they lead a string of successful strikes in the late 1880s. Will Thorne's organization of the London gas workers won an eight-hour day without being contested in 1889. This success soon inspired others. The Bryant & May match workers were compensated following a display of overwhelming support protesting against their poor working conditions and "phossy" jaw. The most notable and triumphant of all strikes was that of the Dockers in 1889 precipitated by low wages the unreliability of the work. The strike lasted five weeks and resulted in an increase in wages and an improvement in working conditions. This success was due to enormous support and was sustained through public donations including �30,000 from Australian trade unions. ...read more.

Conclusion

The case reinforced the Lyons Vs Wilkinson case of 1899, with the right to peaceful picketing completely destroyed. Trade unions also now faced another dilemma; they now had to think twice about striking in fear of being sued. The only way to overturn the Taff Vale ruling would be through an Act of Parliament. The Conservative government was strongly against political reform, and the Liberals were powerless in opposition. The NMUs realized that they were at threat from legal action by employers, and soon pledged their support and financial aid to the LRC. By 1903 127 unions were affiliated to the party. The LRC made further political progress when a pact was made with the Liberal party in which they agreed not to stand in opposition to the LRC in 30 constituencies where the working class vote would be split between the two thus allowing the Conservatives to gain a majority. This was successful, and in the 1906 the LRC gained 29 seats. In conclusion the trade union movement was crucial in the creation and development of the LRC. The poor social, economic and political conditions of the working class in the late nineteenth century created an environment in which the trade union movement was able to flourish, supported by a resurgence of the socialist left. As political reforms were introduced both skilled and unskilled workers were able to demand improved conditions. Political parties and employers saw these as a threat and retaliated (employer's backlashes) the creation of the LRC was the subsequent response of the unions and socialist parties who recognized a need to represent the rights of the working class in parliament. Shpat Shala 12TD ...read more.

Related AS and A Level Trade Unions essays

The teachers that are living in London are de-motivated as they are usually forced to live in poor areas with high levels of crime. The teachers contacted the NUT, which is the trade union for the teachers. The NUT negotiated with the government but was not listened to.

organised strikes attempted to boycott unfair employers or encouraged others to do so. In spite of these bad situations, unions were established, such as the Knights of Labour, founded in 1869, which was one of the first attempts not only to unite skilled and unskilled labour, but also to remove

* As the skill levels and educational qualifications of employees advance, the role and significance of trade unions tend to diminish. This is because employees are able to represent their own case and managements are more sensitive to the needs of individual employees, whose intellectual skills become almost uniquely valuable.

build 500 000 homes for the soldiers to come home to. Unemployment insurance became compulsory for the majority of jobs in 1916. In 1918, following on from its health policies seen in the Defence of the Realm Act and the Children's Act, the government built hundreds of infant welfare centres,

them enough to take them seriously, and I know that these feelings are mirrored throughout the UK's Firefighters." Source:www.supportyourfirefighters.co.uk The government is now gaining a larger support from the public. Health unions in the past have refused to go on strike because of the effect it will have on the public.

in union activity and thus forgo strikes, suggests that strikes are no longer necessary. It can be argued that improved dispute resolutions and 'better industrial relations' now exist and so going on strike is no longer necessary. (Rose, 2001) There is a general increase in trust, commitment and co-operation within

it is felt that there is a possible lack of commitment to the industry. This state of affairs is hardly conducive to the smooth running of a hotel. It is possible to have half of the workforce in one union and the other half could join the rival union.

In these organizations, unions are said to be recognized for collective bargaining purposes." People who work in organizations where unions are recognized are better paid, and are less likely to be made redundant than people who work in organizations where unions are not recognized.